The Witch On Twisted Oak

by Muller, Susan C.

  She couldn’t have thought of anything better to say?

  “You mean I’m going to die alone?”

  His ears rang from the gunshot and the words sounded like something that came over a drive thru speaker.

  Tessa panted, her breath barely under control. “No. You won’t die alone.”

  She tugged on her hand and the pressure on his neck eased as Jacinto leaned forward.

  Ruben lay on his back and looked up. The only thing he’d ever had was his size and strength. His strength was failing him, but he still had his size.

  He reached his long arm up and grabbed Jacinto between the legs. He squeezed and twisted and hung on while Jacinto screamed and beat at his hand. Air began to flow back into his lungs.

  Jacinto let go of Tessa and she jumped away. Ruben scrambled backwards as Jacinto pointed the Glock at him. He’d almost lost hope when a tree limb appeared out of nowhere and connected with the back of Jacinto’s head.

  Jacinto fell across him, but didn’t lose the gun.

  What would it take to wrest that gun from him? Had he Super Glued the thing to his hand?

  Tessa climbed on Jacinto’s back and tried to grab the gun, but she was no match for him and the extra weight was harder on him than it was on Jacinto. The decay and mildew of Tessa’s hiding place filled his nose. He ran his hands franticly through the leaves and muck.

  “Tessa.” He didn’t recognize the sound of his voice as the words squeaked out. “I need you to move. Now.”

  She looked into his eyes and he thought for a moment she might argue with him, but she threw herself to the side.

  Ruben’s hand closed on his back-up pistol and he shot Jacinto between the eyes.

  Tessa tugged on Jacinto’s coat and managed to slide him a few inches, but that was all Ruben needed to push his body off and sit up.

  He draped his arm around her and she snuggled close. They stared at the lifeless body and didn’t speak for several minutes. He’d almost given up, might have if not for Tessa. When his heart rate slowed and his breathing returned to near normal, he realized she was shivering.

  “Here, put this on.” He pulled at Jacinto’s coat.

  “I’m not putting on a dead man’s clothes. Beside, you need it more. You’ve been shot.”

  His voice sounded foreign and his throat screamed in pain when he talked. “I wasn’t shot. He just tried to scare you. But my leg may be broken. I can’t make it to the cabin. I’m depending on you to get help. Put the coat on. And take your shoes back. You can’t travel through the woods without them.”

  Why did she have to argue? He wasn’t up to that now.

  “You have been shot. Look at your arm.”

  Blood coated his arm and pooled on the ground beside him.

  Son-of-a-bitch, he’d been shot. And with his own gun. When Hard Luck found out, he’d be in deep shit.

  Why had he been fine when he didn’t realize it but now that he knew, his head was swimming?

  “We’ve got to stop the bleeding or you’ll go into shock.”

  He pulled his eyes back to Tessa, but her words didn’t make any sense. She was the one in trouble, not him.

  She finished pulling Jacinto’s coat off and tugged at the back of his shirt. Ruben watched her try to rip it, but the material was strong and she couldn’t get a tear started. He should help her. He sent a message to his arms, but they didn’t respond.

  Jacinto’s body flopped as she grabbed the shirt in her teeth and tore off a strip of clean fabric. He watched with disinterest as she tied it around his arm, then slipped the coat over his shoulders.

  The sun had come out and warmed his skin. “Head back to the cabin and get my cell phone. You’ll have to hike out to the road to find any reception.”

  “Where do I tell them we are? Can they find this place if I just call 911?”

  “We’re at the . . . lake.” Wasn’t that obvious? What did she mean? If he wasn’t so sleepy, he could explain it better.

  “Can you sing?”

  What was she talking about, sing? He could hardly talk. Did she need him to sing her some romantic ballad? Make her feel, what? Loved?

  “Can I do it later?” he croaked.

  “No. I need you to do it now. I think you have a concussion. Your eyes look all wonky and uneven. You need to stay awake while I go for help. Can you sing?”

  “I’ll try.” If only he had a little water.

  “You keep singing. I’ll be back as fast as I can.” She disappeared into the woods; muddy, wet, disheveled, torn clothing, desirable.

  “‘She’ll be Coming ‘Round the Mountain When She Comes,’” he sang.

  Chapter 38

  “Ruben?” A warm hand rested on his shoulder.

  “Twenty-seven bottles of beer on the wall.”

  His eyes snapped open. Why did his throat ache so, and whose voice had come out of his mouth? He blinked several times. The light stung his eyes.

  Tessa Reyna stood next to him, holding his hand. Her other hand stroked his forehead. She needed to stop doing that. Needles jabbed into his brain each time she touched his head.

  Why was his witness standing here holding his hand? She looked . . . funny. Her hair wasn’t glossy or smooth. It flew around her head like she’d stuck a finger in a light socket. Her skin was pale and colorless. A clump of something that might be mud nestled in her ear. She didn’t smell that great, either.

  And where was here, anyway?

  “The good news is that the bullet went straight through, without any damage. They just had to clean up the wound a little and sew you up. You’re doing fine.”

  Of course he was fine. What was she talking about? All he needed to do was sit up. He shifted and pain attacked him from every angle.

  If that was the good news, and he was so fine, he didn’t want to hear the bad news.

  “Your ankle is broken, but it’s only a hairline fracture. It should heal without any problems.”

  He glanced toward the end of the bed. Bandages held a splint in place and his leg rested on a pile of pillows. Just thinking about moving it and he broke out in a sweat, his stomach rolling.

  “Water,” he croaked.

  She twisted to reach a pitcher and cup. When she moved, the room floated into view. White walls, florescent lighting, intercom voices.

  A hospital.

  Tessa bent the straw to his lips. How could water be so cold and burn at the same time?

  “What happened?” But even as he asked, the film played back in his mind. Running through the woods with briers tearing at his flesh. Cold and alone. Wondering if anyone would ever find him. Searing pain when they lifted him into an ambulance. Some guy telling him to stay awake while a siren roared in his ears. Had that been Adam?

  “You saved my life. That’s what happened.”

  She leaned over and kissed him, her lips soft and familiar. Why couldn’t he have remembered that part first?

  “Is Jacinto . . . ?”

  “Yes, he’s dead. We don’t have to worry about him anymore.” Her voice sounded sad.

  Damn. Most officers went their whole careers without even firing their weapon. He had planned to be one of them. Taking a life was always a possibility for a cop. But he never believed he’d have to.

  “I want you to do something for me, honey.”

  That sounded promising. She could call him honey anytime she wanted.

  “I realize that’s something you’ll have to deal with eventually. But for now, you need all your strength to get well. Can you put it aside for the time being?”

  A nod was the best he could manage. With a broken ankle and surgery on his arm, he’d be hanging around his apartment for the next several weeks. Plenty of time to come to grips with everything that had happened.

  “Just relax. You’re getting a transfusion now. You’ll be feeling stronger in no time.”

  “No. No. No transfusion. The deadbeats who give blood will lie about what drugs they’re taken.” His arm was strap
ped to a board and didn’t move.

  “The blood came from your sister, Ramona. I think it’s probably safe.”

  “Ramona? How did she get here so fast?”

  Tessa grinned. “She flew herself and your mother in a little puddle jumper. She told me your mother almost peed her pants, but she got in the plane anyway.”

  “Does she look any better?” How many days had it been, and how many till the next full moon?

  “Not yet, but she just found out Jacinto is dead. She’ll get better now.”

  “Where are they?”

  “They stayed for the surgery, but she was tired. Your lieutenant drove them both home.”

  “Hard Luck was here?” He was in trouble now. He hadn’t had a chance to make up a good story about how Jacinto got hold of his weapon.

  “Everyone’s here or has been here. Adam has gone back to the cabin to get my clothes, find Bob, and lock up. I had to call him to get the directions to the cabin. He got worried when they found the car Jacinto had been driving and he was already on the way. He got to us before the ambulance. That tall woman with a bleached blond buzz cut and the guy with the stutter went to check on your car.”

  Tenequa and Two Times Tommy.

  “She’s having it towed back to town. All four tires were slashed.”

  “Slashed, not just flattened?” That damn Jacinto. Now he’d have to buy four new tires, plus pay for towing to Houston.

  “She thought your car might accidentally end up in the motor pool and have new tires before anyone realized what happened. The guy with the western suit and Cajun accent is still here. He went to buy me a cup of coffee.”

  Fuck. Not Remy Steinberg. Heat swept over him. “Don’t get too near that guy. He’s not trustworthy.”

  A soft chuckle escaped Tessa’s lips. “I know exactly what he is. You don’t have to worry.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “There is one thing I’m concerned about. With what you were wearing, and some of your injuries”—she pointed to his neither regions—“do you think they’ll know what we were doing?”

  Now what? He lifted the sheet and stared at his body. A layer of skin had been scraped from his chest to his hips. Salve had been liberally applied, but who had done that, he didn’t know.

  “I think that happened when you slid out the window without any clothes on. That’s why I didn’t want you to take your shorts off. You were already raw and bleeding and I didn’t want it to get infected.”

  A lie formed on his lips but he bit it back. In the past, his policy had been: Never tell the truth if it’s going to cause trouble. But Tessa was different. He didn’t want the same old relationship.

  “They’re detectives, honey. They’ve already figured it out.” And if not, when Adam saw the empty condom wrappers in the bedroom, there wouldn’t be any question. It wouldn’t matter if he cleaned them up, the crime scene techies had already been there.

  Although they would conspire to keep it from Hard Luck, and Hard Luck would pretend he didn’t notice. But that didn’t mean the squad wouldn’t rib him mercilessly.

  His head snapped to the side at the sound of his door opening. Relax. Jacinto’s gone. You’re safe, in a hospital.

  A teenager with acne and a patchy beard walked in. Ruben took in the scrubs under his white coat. This couldn’t be his doctor, could it?

  “Good evening, Detective Marquez. You’re doing better, I see.”

  “He’s much better.” Tessa beamed.

  Good, he didn’t have to speak, just nod.

  The doctor went over everything he’d done, but it was the same stuff Tessa had already told him, so he let his eyes glaze over.

  “We’ll need to keep you another day to two, to check for signs of infection and to keep an eye on your concussion. Have you ever had one before?”

  “Maybe, when I played football.”

  “Well, the effect of them is cumulative. So try not to get another one.”

  “Tell my girlfriend not to hit me on the head with another tree branch and I should be okay.” Did he just say that? Never, in all his life, had he called a woman his girlfriend. He usually didn’t bother to introduce them, but when he had to, it was as his date, his friend, his companion, but never as his girlfriend.

  He kind of liked that. From the flush on her face, Tessa did, too.

  “We’ll have to put a cast on your ankle. With your size, it would be too much strain for a removable boot.”

  The curse of the Romanian gypsy struck again.

  The doctor left and Tessa climbed into the bed beside him. There wasn’t much space so she put her arm around his chest and fitted her head under his chin. All the things that hurt didn’t matter. Only the warmth of her arm resting on his chest. He even liked the musky scent of her hair.

  Her breath tickled his neck. “There’s just one thing I need to know. Ninety-nine Bottles of Beer? That’s the best you could come up with, a beer drinking song?”

  “I’d already used up every animal I could think of for Old MacDonald’s Farm. Sometimes you just have to go with what you know.”

  Chapter 39

  The ride home to Mamacita’s was agony. Was Adam just searching for potholes to punish him?

  Ruben stretched his leg across the back seat. “Are you sure Tessa couldn’t wait and drive me home?”

  “This was the only day Jillian could help her clean up her house so she could move back in. Besides, she couldn’t get you in and out of the car or up the steps like I can. She’ll be over first thing tomorrow.”

  “I still say I should just go to my own apartment. It doesn’t have any stairs. I’d be able to get around fine.”

  “The doctor said you had to have someone look after you for at least twenty-four more hours.”

  Yeah, and if you’d take me home, that person could be Tessa.

  “I don’t want Mamacita to think she has to take care of me.”

  “She won’t. Ramona will. She has emergency leave for a few more days. I had your car delivered to Mamacita’s and brought in your things. I’m sorry to say, I think you used up all your condoms, but the shape you’re in, you couldn’t manage them anyway. So if that’s why you wanted to stay at your apartment, think again.”

  That prick. He knew Adam would find a way to rib him. He might as well get used to it. This wouldn’t be the last time.

  He’d been looking forward to having Tessa change his dressing. What were his choices now? Adam, Ramona, Mamacita? Each one worse than the other. Guess he’d have to do it himself. He turned his head and pretended to sleep the rest of the drive.

  “Okay, Sleeping Beauty.” Adam’s voice woke him. “Want to prove how well you can take care of yourself and get out of the car alone, or do you need me to help?”

  “You drove all this way, you might as well earn your keep.” There were only four steps, but they could have just as easily been Everest.

  By the time he flopped into Papa’s old recliner, he was out of breath and sweating. So Adam was right; Tessa couldn’t have managed it. That didn’t give the SOB the right to grin at him like that.

  Adam started for the door, but paused. “Don’t forget. Two weeks from today, my house.”

  Was he still on that kick? He didn’t even want to think about a party now. “I won’t be able to wear a suit.”

  Adam ran his eyes up and down his battered body. “Come as close as you can,” he said and disappeared out the front door.

  He’d barely caught his breath when he heard Ramona and Mamacita. One glance at Ramona’s face caused his heart to clench.

  Mamacita shuffled in, looking ten years older than she had last Sunday. And she hadn’t looked any too good then.

  What the hell had happened? She was supposed to get better after Jacinto died. At this rate, she wouldn’t last the next two weeks.

  “Gracias a Dios. You are safe. I was afraid I might never see you again.” Her face lit up.

  She sat on the edge of the sofa, closest to his chair, and held hi
s hand.

  Her skin felt hot and dry, like something that might tear apart. What if he hurt her?

  Her voice came out soft, weak. “I know you wanted to go to your own apartment, but I asked Adam to bring you here. I had to see that you were healing. The sight of you in that hospital, mi Dios, it broke my heart.”

  So there was a reason for Adam’s stubbornness. Why hadn’t he just said so?

  “I’ll be dancing in time for the parish Christmas party. You better be ready to do the Hokey Pokey with me.”

  She smiled and patted his hand. “You should plan on dancing with Tessa. But do not cry for me, hijo. I don’t mind going, now that I know you two will be all right.” She glanced at Ramona. “It has always been the both of you who worried me. Now I can rest in peace.”

  His fists clenched and his breath lodged in his throat. “You will not rest in peace. If you leave us now, I’ll haunt your grave. I’ll refuse to light a candle for you. Ruben Jacinto is dead, and his evil with him. If you go now, it’s the same as suicide.”

  “It will do no good. Even Ramona’s doctor friend couldn’t help me. And he tried everything. The spell has been cast, and cannot be uncast.”

  Where was Ramona? Why didn’t she jump into this? Mamacita always listened to her. He searched the room. Ramona leaned against the wall, her face in her hands. Had she thrown in the towel, too?

  He wouldn’t let her off that easy. “Don’t you have anything to say? Are you just going to let her give up?”

  “I’ve talked my lungs out for all the good it did. Even the priest came by and prayed with her. I don’t know anything else to do.” Ramona’s voice rose with each word.

  He tried. He gave it all he had, but after an hour, they were all exhausted. Ramona heated them a light supper and helped Mamacita to bed, then went up to her old room.

  How was he ever going to sleep? And not because the sofa was lumpy and his leg itched. Maybe TV would help. He reached for the remote, but set it down again. Mamacita needed her rest, so did Ramona, and the old TV had only two settings: too low to hear, and too loud to ignore.